Disappointment for Tyrone contingent at Drumaness Masters

THE Tyrone contingent involved in this year’s Drumaness Masters suffered disappointment last week.

Representing the county were Castlederg duo Gary Arkinson and Dermot McGlinchey, Dunamanagh’s Jamie Gardiner, Brocagh’s Fergal Quinn and Dungannon’s Patrick Wallace.

Arkinson battled through a qualifying tournament to reach the main event, which features the top 16 ranked Northern Irish players and eight wildcards.

He had to come from behind in his semi-final to beat Davy Clifford 3-2, having ousted Conor Murphy 3-0 in the quarter-final, and battled back from arrears to defat former professional Declan Hughes in the decider to book his place at the main event.

Following the draw, Arkinson came out of the hat in the last-24 against number nine seed Paul Sweeney and similarly to the last time they met, a tight tussle ensued.

Again, on this occasion, it was Sweeney who triumphed, enjoying the rub of the green to seal a 3-1 success.

Gardiner made it straight through to the main event, and he too was handed a tough last-24 encounter against the experienced Darren Dornan, who defeated the Tyrone teenager and 11th seed 3-2 to set up a last-16 clash with Wallace.

The former World Championship quarter-finalist was pushed all the way by Dornan before triumphing 3-2 to reach the quarter-finals.

Also competing in the last-16 were Quinn, who defeated rising star Joel Connolly 3-1 and McGlinchey who ousted Gerard Travers 3-0.

In the quarter-finals, Wallace breezed past number six seed Ryan McQuillan by four frames to nil to set up another meeting with 17-year-old Robbie McGuigan in the last four.

Having defeated the Antrim teenager in the final of the Coach Classic and at the European Amateur Championships earlier in the season, Wallace would have hoped for a third win over the talented youngster. But on Tuesday night, McGuigan showed his class with a 5-2 victory over his more experienced opponent.

McGlinchey also reached the semi-finals, the eighth seed battling past 10th seed Declan Lavery 4-3 following a thrilling last-eight clash.

Unfortunately an all-Tyrone clash in the semis didn’t happen as fifth seed Quinn fell 4-2 to an in-form Hugh Murdock, who had already ousted fourth seed Sean Gray 3-0 and 12 seed Alistair Wilson 3-2.

And Murdock continued his impressive run of results by beating McGlinchey 5-3 in last Tuesday night’s other semi-final to end the Tyrone interest in this year’s prestigious event.